Are you looking for a trained Belgian Malinois to serve as both a companion and guard dog? If so, it’s important to know what to look for in reputable Belgian Malinois breeders.
Here are a few tips to help you find the ideal family protection dog or police K9.
OCD Behavior
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not always ideal to breed the best dogs from one litter to the best dogs from another. The Institute of Canine Biology reported on a 2014 study, which revealed alarming genetic traits in this breed that can negatively affect behavior and work performance. So there are a few things you should know about high-quality Belgian Malinois traits.
The first trait is the tendency to circle. Circling behavior is a form of Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior or OCD. There are several other breeds that can have this type of OCD, but it tends to be more common in the Belgian Malinois.
A gene, called the CDH2, is thought to be responsible for this type of OCD behavior. The study reported that humans and Doberman Pinschers with OCD also share this same gene.
When Belgian Malinois display circling behaviors, it is usually caused by being kept in small spaces. Surprisingly, Malinois that displays some circling behavior (versus none at all or extreme circling) serves as the best guarding and working dogs.
The study also found that breeding two dogs where one has the CDH2 gene as a dominant trait and the other dog have it as a recessive trait produces the best quality Belgian Malinois.
Look for Malinois breeders who know how to incorporates proper genetic matching when creating new litters of puppies.
Dominant Behavior
Dominance is a good trait to have in certain situations, but an over-dominant Belgian Malinois is nearly impossible to train. The best Belgian Malinois breeders know that an unusually muscular dog can signify a mutation of the myostatin gene. This gene is also responsible for overdominance traits.
An informed breeder should be able to easily spot the physical and behavioral manifestations of this mutated gene. Trained Belgian Malinois with the right temperament mixture of dominance and circling behavior turn out to be best for use as personal protection dogs and in military or police service.
Genetic Diversity is Key
Genetic diversity allows for a healthy combination of certain traits to be bred into the offspring. By matching the right dogs, a top Malinois breeder can produce offspring with the proper mix of recessive and dominant genes. This practice can avoid producing puppies with genetic mutations or double copies of undesirable genes.
The 2014 study concluded that picking the “best” dogs and breeding them together is not the smartest way to breed healthy animals. Careful thought, knowledge, and genetic testing is a must when choosing the best moms- and dads-to-be.
Not sure which breed suits your lifestyle?
Scott’s K9 – Your Best Choice to Get Belgian Malinois for Sale
For over 15 years, Steve Scott has been hand-picking Belgian Malinois puppies and trained adult dogs for use in personal protection and service work. He not only has extensive training experience in the field but also knows what behaviors to look for in successful working dogs.
Contact Scott’s K9 today to learn more about the trained Belgian Malinois we have available for adoption. Many have been imported from Europe to ensure the highest quality bloodlines and training.
